|
 |
The Gauntlet: Watch Them Die |
 |
Watch Them Die Album Review
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Tracklist
1. Torn Pages
2. Unleashed
3. Fall from Grace
4. Struggle
5. To See You Bleed
6. Sadist Ways
7. Resurrection
|
Heavy metal music has always had a love affair with pain and agony, and it has thrived off from the concepts that those who perform it manifest in the dark recesses of their minds. Many have flirted with anthems for murder and vengeance, yet Oakland's Watch Them Die are built on these very urges. Their eponymous debut is a record conceived by men all too eager to inflict damage on those that have slighted them, incorporating a multitude of different extreme styles into their arsenal.
Watch Them Die's debut album is an amalgamation of multiple styles, melding the high-octane blast of thrash with the rebellious urgency of punk music, layered with thick doses of crusty grindcore insanity.
If you can imagine a gruesome mixture of Superjoint Ritual, Pig Destroyer and Scar Culture then you have an indication what to expect from this maniacal five-piece. The listener is greeted by the buzzing of flies and an utterly disturbing statement of sadistic pleasure on "Torn Pages", a lethal blast of bestial extreme metal that succeeds in getting your adrenaline surging and your vision to start turning red. The dual vocalist line-up of Patrick Vigil and guitarist Greg Valencia is often effective, yet the throatier vocal spasms emitted borrow heavily from that of infamous metal frontman Phil Anselmo, and when paired with the blackened screeches found scattered throughout the album it is hard to latch onto the energy being spewed forth. The intensity reaches cataclysmic proportions, as Ira Harris' incessant drumming is volatile enough to incite riots and paired with the group's dual thrash guitar attack you get the uncomfortable feeling that no one is safe, and Watch Them Die seem unusually enthusiastic about that very fact.
This is an album that has great aspirations, but ultimately suffers from its underground mindset. The band's reliance on mediocre spoken word passages grow tiresome, and amidst the maelstrom of metallic debris spinning out of control such amateur inclusions hinder their hard-hitting impact. It would seem to be a more effective dynamic if used sparingly, but Watch Them Die are determined to allow this understated muttering infiltrate every offering found here.
The group also seem a little overzealous in the way they insist on bringing all of their influences to the forefront, making the album a continuous assault of interesting ideas that unfortunately collide into one another. Given time Watch Them Die could become a frightening quintet, as their murderous intentions clearly show a desire for hate equal to none, a trait that may be unnecessary but still has unique undertones.
When the band unite as one coherent being, as they do quite impressively on "To See You Bleed", they reveal the sinister power hidden within, but with this debut it is apparent that they are not quite ready to decimate the metal ranks just yet.
Review by: J.D. Taylor
Read Member Reviews
|
|
|
